Chapter 4: Words Made Bare

…

…

…oh, Arceus…

Who killed me?

Why'd they have to make it hurt?

…

…

…

"Don't you have more bandages than that?"

"I've looked, I can't find anymore! It looks like he may've forgotten to restock the kit…"

"Does anyone know how to make a phone work? Or should we drag him to a human Pokemon Center?"

"You mean the hospital? We can't."

"What!? Why not?"

"Because he only promised me that if he was dying for us to take him to one! I can't not listen to him!"

And so on, Blue heard. He didn't follow most of what he heard. Although he could hear, he couldn't see or move.

He managed to twitch his hand a little and the paralysis gradually faded. Blue groaned in agony, shifting on his back. He tried forcing his eyes open and when he did, he could see shapes hovering over him. It had gotten so very quiet all of a sudden.

"Waasss goinn oonn?" Blue slurred. "Whoozere?"

He laid there mumbling. He began to hear voices again and the faces over him would disappear and come back. Finally, only two of them were there.

Blue thought he recognized the little tan face with big, dark eyes. It nuzzled him on the cheek.

Fuzz…Blue struggled to think. Who's this?

The second face was the most distinctive out of all of them. It was yellow, among the many shades of brown and orange. Blue's vision focused and he made out a mousey shape with red cheeks.

Who's that?

Oh…

Pikachu…?

Pikachu came a little closer.

"Heya, Blue…" the Pokemon spoke up. "You doing alright?"

Blue blinked slowly. "…I sure am, pal."

Blue tossed and turned as he went in and out of consciousness. He kept hearing the voices. One of them began to stick out from the rest, tickling the farthest reaches of his memories…

"Hey—! I see you! What's that shiner doing on your face, 'lil pear?"
"It was Red! He started it, I swear!"

"Is that right?"

"Ugh…no, Mama."

"Now what were you both fighting about? Did you hit him back?"

"Yes. I can't remember what we were angry at each other for, but we made up anyway."

"Well, come on over here then and let me take care of your eye. I'm sure Arceus himself could see it from the center of the universe."

"Ooh, really?"

"Yes. And don't think you can call him to help you get out of trouble, young man."

"I'm in trouble?"

"Yes. You said you hit Red."

"After he hit me!"

"Whoever started it doesn't matter. Anya and I have told you boys to never get physical with one another because it can get out of hand fast. In fact, I'm going over to speak to Anya to see if she's got the full story. I'm sure she doesn't."

"He hit me harder than I hit him, Mama."

"Did you say something you weren't supposed to?"

"Uh…"

"Yes, no? Maybe so? That means you'll have to tell me and then I can put the finishing touches on your punishment. Then after that, you can call Arceus all you want."

"So I gotta punch myself in the other eye?"

Blue cringed and shuddered. He could hear her laugh.

"No, silly…!"

And she sounded so close, like she was leaning down and speaking into his ears.

"You have to actually go to a bus stop and say the magic words! Then he'll roar up, big hooves and all, driving the sickest taxi you'll ever see…!"

Blue laughed weakly, ignorant to the tears rolling down his face.

For a while his mother was laughing with him, but her voice turned anguished and broken. He had only ever seen his mother cry once, and that was at his father's funeral.

"'s okay," Blue muttered. "He can…come…from the hall."

Her crying was the only thing he could hear now. She was lying on top of him, clutching him gently.

"Blue…"

"…huah? Mama, what's…I'm sorry. I won't hit'im again…"

"Blue," the woman repeated. "Sweetie, it's me."

Me, he repeated in his head. The voice wasn't any different, but to Blue's perception it suddenly transformed to fit another woman's vocal profile.

She was familiar. She was like his mother. A lot like her, but not her. He was lucid enough now and struggled to hold back the sob in his voice.

"Anya…" Blue spoke up, opening his eyes. He could see the blurry outline of her face, hovering close to his. "'M sorry…I didn't know it was you at first."

"Tell me what happened."

Her voice held a gentle tremor. Blue inhaled deeply, and then let it out. He would hate to make the sweetest person in the world worry.

Anya lightly touched his hairline. "Your Pokemon took care of you…" she whispered, "your head is bandaged up. I didn't have to do a thing."

"Oh…I gotta thank them…"

"You were out in the rain. Your coat is over there…what were you doing outside? Did…you fall off of your bird? You're usually so careful…"

"No…didn't fall off G."

"Then how did this happen?"

Blue couldn't quite remember at the moment. He found Anya's wrist and held onto it.

"I can't…remember. I don't think I fell off of him."

"Oh, Blue…this, this is what happened to your mother before she passed. I can't go through this again. I need to take you to the hospital."

"No…! No hospital."

"Honey, why? You're likely concussed. You've been singing and talking in your sleep and not making sense."

"I'm…not dying, A-Anya. I mean—that much is obvious," Blue said dazedly, trying to focus his eyes. "But I can't do hospitals. It's…not that…bad."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I just don't…like being in them. Sure you can figure out why." Blue was silent for a moment. "…I was trying to feed Arcanine. Yeah…and when we were heading back inside, something hit me, and…that's as much as I can remember. I must've…hit the ground, or the wall, or…agh. But…I-I swear…I'll live."

"What if something's gone horribly wrong, Blue?"

By now, any other person (save for his grandfather and Daisy, who weren't even in his good graces at the moment anyway) asking him so many pressing questions would've mildly agitated him by now. But Blue didn't feel a flicker of annoyance towards Anya; he never had and never would. She was always so gentle, always so caring and understanding.

"I just ask, because…" Anya started, but didn't finish. Blue chuckled a little, somehow knowing.

"When Mama was in the hospital after her fall…you said it was the worst experience in your life," he muttered.

"I, I thought I'd told only your grandfather that in private…!"

"Heh heh…Red and I were eavesdropping at the time. I remember that clearly," Blue said with melancholic fondness. He wasn't looking at her but could glimpse the wrinkle lines on her face, feel her worry. It almost smothered him.

To prove his point, he forced himself to sit up, very slowly. The dizzying pain and pressure in his head readjusted.

"…okay," Blue panted, finding discomfort in just moving his eyes. "I'm…feeling like I'm…about to gag…but I can feel everything, so…"

Anya backed off to give him his space, tucking her legs underneath her. She brushed his bangs aside, saying, "Oh, dear, even your hair is drooping."

"Yeah, heh…has a mind of its own, seems like."

He looked up and found all of his Pokemon on hand standing near, watching silently: Eevee, Alakazam, Arcanine (who looked to be moments from bawling), Pikachu, Charizard, and the ever-stoic Pidgeot.

Eevee came up close, wide-eyed. Blue stared at her blankly, feeling like he knew something he shouldn't have.

"Um…" he muttered. "…Eevee…"

She perked, raising her ears. She almost seemed to be holding her breath…

"Can you…say, oobidie-boobidie?"

She pushed her little jaw up, strangely adamant and unquestioning. And then she spoke, sounding like any other human to Blue. "Oobidie…bobidie."

"No, no," Blue expressed. "I said boobidie, not BOBbidie."

Her jaw hung low. Everyone in the room stared at him for a few seconds.

Pikachu hopped up. "HA!" he yelled, pointing at all the other Pokemon. "TOLD you he could understand us! Everyone but Eevee owes me fifty berries each!"